There are many temples around Siem Reap that you can visit without a tour guide, and with a 3-day pass I was wont to take advantage. So I spent a couple of days touring as many temples as I could, beginning with Pre Rup.
Arriving at Pre Rup I could see this was one of the less popular temples in the area. There were no other people around, only a single security guard drinking tea by the entrance. I approached him and he asked to see my pass. I pulled out my phone and opened up the QR code.
In this area of the jungle there is very little phone signal. He couldn’t simply scan the code here to check my pass. Instead, he used a radio to get someone else to lookup the status of my pass. After confirming it, he allowed me to go and explore the temple.
This temple was smaller than most that I had visited. Despite its size, it is a mountain temple, built around a pyramid you can climb up. It is built from a striking red brick, which looks particularly impressive during the dawn. Inside these walls, at the base of the pyramid, there are the ruins of two libraries that would have housed religious texts.
Before climbing the pyramid, I took the time to explore the galleries that run down either side of the temple. There wasn’t much to see here, except for the four gopuras that form the corners of the temple walls.
The pyramid has three levels, with a short flight of stairs to each. At the top of the pyramid are five towers, all empty except for one that has been set up as a place of prayer. Gods are carved at the entrances to the towers, standing guard and protecting the temple.
This was definitely not the most unique and interesting temple to visit as a tourist. But it was nice to have a whole temple to myself. Many people always want to do the “non-touristy” parts of places they visit, and the silence and solitude I experienced here made it feel like one of those places.
Of course, this is still a place that is only visited by tourists, even if it’s one of the less popular temples. But that doesn’t take away from the peace and serenity of an early morning in a quiet, spiritual place. A place with a history long forgotten, even if we can infer some details from the structure and carvings within.
This temple was a good way to start the morning, but the day was far from over. There were many more temples to see, and I wanted to see as many of them as I could while my pass was still valid. I made my way back down, and said goodbye to the security guard before moving on to the next temple for the day.
